Opposition mounts for Gillard’s filter push

Liberals slam ‘bloody minded’ pursuit.

Members of the parliamentary cyber-safety committee have criticised new Prime Minister Julia Gillard for standing behind her party’s controversial internet filtering proposal.

Yesterday, the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-safety met with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and content providers to discuss how best to protect Australians from online risks.

Representatives from Internode, Yahoo!7, the Australian Information and Industry Association (AIIA) and the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), opposed the proposal, recommending the use of commercially available software and educational initiatives instead.

Other industry witnesses, including representatives from Symantec, Netbox Blue and Telstra, rallied behind a more coordinated approach that involved improving law enforcement and education.